March 14, 2024 • 29 mins
Overcoming Adversity with Amanda McCombs: Teaching, Pageantry, and Personal Triumphs
This podcast episode features an inspiring interview with Amanda McCombs, a first-grade teacher, Mrs. Daybreak, and a contestant in the Miss Utah America pageant. Amanda shares insights into her life, discussing the joys and challenges of being a part of a blended family, her journey through the adversity of a shingles diagnosis that led to significant sensory sensitivities, and the tragic loss of her mother. Despite these hardships, Amanda talks about finding strength and solace in her roles as a teacher and pageant participant, emphasizing the importance of authenticity, self-care, and overcoming societal expectations. The conversation also covers Amanda's favorite indoor and outdoor activities, her core values, and how the upcoming Miss Utah America pageant has become a platform for her to connect with and support other women. The episode is a testament to resilience, community, and the transformative power of facing adversity head-on.
PodcastEpisode #InspiringStories #ResilienceJourney #Vulnerability #Strength #Adversity #TeacherLife #MrsDaybreak #Resilience #Courage #OvercomingChallenges #GrowthMindset #AdversityIntoStrength #BloomInAdversity #Empowerment #PositiveVibes #HopeAndStrength #SelfDiscoveryJourney #ResilienceInAdversity #EmbraceGrowth #PowerOfStorytelling #Connection #InspiringTruths #StrengthWithin #Determination #PowerfulStories #ResilienceChat #EmpowermentStories #CourageousHearts
00:00 Welcome to the Podcast: A Bright Spot in Your Day 00:14 Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming Events and Special Days 00:36 Diving Into the Interview: Meet Amanda 01:06 Amanda's Life in Daybreak: Family, Teaching, and Mrs. Daybreak 01:55 Exploring Indoor and Outdoor Favorites 02:54 Wearing Many Hats: Mom, Teacher, and More 03:44 Core Values and Authentic Living 05:19 Facing Adversity: Amanda's Battle with Shingles 14:21 The Power of Teaching and Overcoming Challenges 14:50 The Joy and Challenges of Teaching First Grade 15:33 Dreams Beyond the Classroom: From Blogging to Podcasting 16:33 Unexpected Journey: Entering the World of Pageantry 17:26 A Personal Loss and the Spiral into Depression 19:46 Finding Light in Darkness: The Pageant Experience 22:43 Embracing Vulnerability and Building Community 23:33 The Importance of Self-Care and Supporting Each Other 25:57 Closing Thoughts: The Impact of Teaching and Pageantry 27:23 A Heartfelt Farewell and Encouragement to Explore
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jen Banks (00:01):
Hey, Hey, thanks for joining me on the podcast today.
I'm so happy to have you.
If you're in Utah, it hasbeen a few rainy days.
So hopefully this episode willbrighten your day as it did mine.
And I am just so excited.
There's lots of fun thingshappening in April with St.
Patrick's day and Pi day.
And my family celebrates Mario day.
(00:21):
And then also Easteris in March this year.
There's also coming up on March22nd, a Miss Utah America pageant.
And my guest today, Amanda and I are goingto talk more about that in our interview,
but I just wanted to let you know rightoff the bat so you can mark your calendar.
So without any delay,let's get to the interview.
All right.
(00:41):
I'm here with Amanda.
How are you today?
Mrs. Daybreak (00:44):
I'm wonderful.
How are you?
Jen Banks (00:45):
Doing good.
It's always funny in the podcastworld because we kind of have
a pre conversation and then theconversation, you know, but it just
feels like that's the way to do it.
So
Mrs. Daybreak (00:55):
this is how we start.
I'm having a wonderful day.
Thanks for asking.
Right.
I know.
Jen Banks (01:01):
Okay.
Well, we'll get moreinto the nitty gritty.
Tell us a little bit aboutyou and then we'll just
Mrs. Daybreak (01:05):
go from there.
So I'm Amanda McCombs.
I've lived in Daybreak for a while, likea lot longer than I thought now that I
think about it, for almost eight years.
No way.
Yeah!
I'm sorry, because my daughter isseven, and I was pregnant with her
when we moved in, so that's crazy.
(01:26):
I didn't even think about that.
My husband and I have been marriedsince 2015, and I do a lot of things.
I'm a first grade teacher.
Between the two of us, we have five kids.
We're a blended family, and that comeswith A lot of joy and challenges.
And then recently I became Mrs.
Daybreak.
We'll talk
Jen Banks (01:47):
more about that later.
I'm so curious about that part.
But before we do that, let's dive in alittle bit more to who you are as a person
and then we'll move into what you do.
So what is one of your favoriteindoor activities and what's
a favorite outdoor activity?
Mrs. Daybreak (02:00):
Okay.
Can I do two for each?
I guess.
Thank you.
I'm a rule breaker.
Audiobooks and video games.
For me, for inside activities.
I just love being outside and I lovepaddleboarding, which is kind of
new ish to me, but I love hiking.
(02:23):
That's
Jen Banks (02:23):
so neat.
I need, I wish I loved nature more.
I, my husband and I, we say we're the,We love the great indoors, but there
is something to be said about outdoors.
I do, there is a place
Mrs. Daybreak (02:33):
for nature too.
So my husband and I are opposite,like he could, he could just stay
inside all day long and cozy up anddo all the things that I'm getting
out, see if I'm cooped up too long.
Jen Banks (02:43):
Yes.
So true.
Well, good thing we have each other.
Cause my husband's like that too.
And then I'm a little bitmore inclined to go outdoors.
Mrs. Daybreak (02:48):
So you're not both trapped in the house all day long.
Jen Banks (02:52):
Yes.
Well, you mentionedyou do a lot of things.
What are some of the hats
Mrs. Daybreak (02:57):
that you wear?
The mom hat is probably the first hat.
The mom and stepmom hat.
And then this year I teach first gradeand it's my first year being back at it.
I'm a teacher, but all those, I mightas well be all their moms anyway.
I don't know.
I'm a caregiver.
I take care of animals.
And I do like, you know, thechauffeur hat and the whatever hat.
(03:20):
And we don't even need to talkabout like all the things that
come with the teacher hat.
Because it's not just a teacher hat.
It's like, A lot of teacher hats.
Jen Banks (03:29):
That's so true.
And props for, yeah, I taught secondgrade for three years and it is
Mrs. Daybreak (03:36):
a job.
They're little energy vampires.
Jen Banks (03:41):
That's a good term for it.
I love it.
Well, what is one of your core values?
What drives you the most?
Mrs. Daybreak (03:47):
Oh yeah, that one.
I was really trying to think about it.
Cause, you know, values change over time.
I think authenticity, And live,like, being able to live your
true self, that's so hard to getto but it's really important.
Jen Banks (04:07):
So true.
I have shared before that I feel like wecome to the earth without any programming,
and then we get all this societal and, youknow, expectations put upon us, and then
we just kind of have to unravel that to
Mrs. Daybreak (04:18):
get back to ourselves.
Yeah I think one of the things I'vereally learned through like everything
that I'm going through is that I haveto let go of other people's expectations
of me and make sure I'm living up to myown before I'm like doing anything else.
Yeah,
Jen Banks (04:35):
that's so good because like you said with the kids and the energy
vampire, that's what society can be too
Mrs. Daybreak (04:41):
if we let it.
Yeah.
Oh yeah.
Especially like social media andall the other things like you kind
of can get lost very easily andforget what makes you who you are.
Like, I had to really think aboutwhat my favorite indoor and outdoor
activities were because I hadn'treally thought about it before.
It's just like whatevermy kids do, you know?
(05:03):
But since I've been able to do thosethings and like be more authentic to
who I am, I'm a lot happier and mylife is a lot easier and I, there's so
So much I don't have to worry about.
Forget those
Jen Banks (05:15):
people.
Yes.
So good.
Great.
Well, my go to is adversity.
I love talking about how challengesrefine us and shape our character.
So I know it's a loaded question,but what's something that you've
experienced that's shaped your character?
Mrs. Daybreak (05:31):
How far back do we want to go?
How much time do you have?
How much time do you have?
Like, are we going to start charging?
Is this a therapy session?
Very recently.
We'll just go back to February last year.
We could go back further, butwe're just, that's the easiest one.
I was diagnosed with shinglesand it went through the nerves in
(05:55):
my face on this right hand side.
And so now that was a year ago.
I can't feel any of this at all.
And if I can feel it, So like rightwhen I'm getting waxed and stuff, right?
But when I can feel it, it's like pinsand needles or throbbing and aching pain.
Because jingles is justchicken pox, right?
(06:19):
But once you have chicken pox, it juststays in your spine until it's ready.
And usually you're like old orbroken or I didn't think I was
either one of those things.
Apparently I am.
So then I couldn't.
Look at any light and I have like suchbad, bad, bad light and sound sensitivity.
(06:45):
I couldn't even hearanybody talking around me.
Like I was wearing earplugs and likeriding in the car with my husband,
I would wear one of those sleepingmasks and I had just finally got a
paddle board like the summer before.
Couldn't go paddle boarding.
I finally got to go liketowards the end of the summer.
(07:06):
But then like, I couldn't, Icouldn't see like the snow today.
We had some snow.
I couldn't see outsidewatching the kids for recess.
So it still hits me really, really hard.
My husband had to drive everywhere.
I just felt like I was a burden andI couldn't do anything with my kids.
(07:26):
Like I was, I love readingand I couldn't read anymore.
I was reading Matilda to my daughter and.
It was too much.
Like my eyes couldn't focus and then Icouldn't even hear her talking to me.
Like the sound of my own kidsvoices was painful and like What
(07:49):
do you do when you're sick, right?
You read, or you watch movies, or youlisten to books, or music, or whatever.
I couldn't do anything.
So, headphones, mask on, liketotally covered up, blinds drawn.
I'd be like walking like this in themorning to go close all the blinds, and
then I'd have this really cute head tilt.
(08:12):
Because I was shielding likemy face all the time like this.
I was wearing hats inside,prescription sunglasses helped,
but they didn't help outside.
That was still too much.
So like months and months andmonths, I couldn't go outside.
Jen Banks (08:27):
Wow.
So what got you through that?
Mrs. Daybreak (08:30):
I don't know.
I was just thinking a lot.
Like I had a lot of time to reflectcause all I could really listen
to is like my thoughts in my head.
I have that narrator Tryingto think if my narrator in my
head even sounds like my voice.
I don't think it does.
It's like a totally different person.
But that way I couldn't even, like,listening to myself breathe hurt.
(08:51):
And so I just had a lot of time tothink about, like, who I was and
what I liked and I just slept a lot.
My eye almost flew out of myhead and also that month, this is
February, my mom's house burned down.
And they barely made it out alive.
They live up in Preston.
(09:12):
lived up in Preston and she like That'slike a totally different thing, but there
were all these things happening and like Icouldn't even look at pictures I couldn't
read the messages Like people calling me.
I couldn't I couldn'teven answer phone calls.
I just couldn't do anything, but I wasa teacher Last year, I was a PE teacher
(09:39):
That was my first time.
It's probably never gonna happenagain, but in the gym there's all
those bright lights and sounds andmusic and we were like dancing and
I was at like the top of my life.
I was like in really really good shape andI was doing a job that I kind of love now.
It's great.
Everything is arts integrated.
So we made a nutcracker.
(10:00):
It was the coolest nutcracker ever.
Not like anyone you would ever see.
And And then February, Igot knocked down, flat.
I got my master's.
So February 1st, I wasdiagnosed with shingles.
I think it was like the 3rd, I got mygraduation notification that I passed
(10:22):
everything for my master's degree.
My birthday was later that month,my husband's birthday, one of my
kids birthdays, Valentine's Day.
And then, I think I felt I had a purpose.
I feel a pull to like, I've said this toa couple other people because I haven't
really figured out how to explain it.
I get this pull where I'mlike, somebody meets me.
(10:47):
And that I go where I'm directed, right?
And the school needed me.
And I hated not being there.
It tore me apart because I loveteaching so much and I couldn't do
half the stuff that I wanted to.
I couldn't teach PE anymore.
No more sugar plum dribble.
Like we can't play all thesecrazy games that I made up
(11:09):
because I couldn't even See.
Yeah.
So then I when I was able to goback to work, they were so sweet.
I came back as the visual art teacher.
Who couldn't see?
I mean I could see, kinda, butI would wear sunglasses and like
everything I wrote because myhead's tilted is all like crooked!
(11:29):
I had a cane.
If I couldn't walk straight,it messes with it still.
If I start to get sick Ican tell because I like tip.
I can't keep my balance.
So, like, just from this one thing,my whole life just, I felt like I had
my whole life robbed from me and Ididn't even know, like, if I was ever
(11:49):
gonna really be able to go outsideand enjoy any of the stuff that I
like reading or playing video games.
Paddleboarding?
Out of the question.
No, no way.
I just, wow.
I finally When I was able togo back, I just, I knew that
the kids needed me and I just,
(12:10):
my time wasn't done yet.
But
like, why?
Why, why, why, why, why?
Right?
I was like, what did I do wrong?
Is this because of all my tattoos?
I'm a hellion, sorry, I drink coffee.
Like, I don't know what's wrong with me.
And I just try, I try to give andgive and give and give and then I
(12:31):
just felt, I was like, I don't know.
I can see now, which is kind of nice.
But like, I think it was just acouple, mm, it was like halfway
through the school year I was actuallyable to like read, read, read.
And so I tell the kids like, don'tyou realize how cool this is?
(12:52):
We live in such an amazing placewhere we can see all these things
and we're taking it all for granted.
So my, the whole, my wholeview of the world just changed
and my priorities shifted.
It taught me a lot.
So I mean you're, you'respot on with that adversity.
is there for a reason.
(13:13):
And it made me so much stronger.
Like, I don't know, I tell people aboutit now and I'm like, yeah, check this out.
I can't feel that.
It's my party trick.
Oh my gosh.
It's just, it's a crazy, it'scrazy, crazy existence right now.
(13:34):
For sure.
Jen Banks (13:34):
Wow.
That is huge.
That is a very big doseof adversity for you.
And I think you'll discover the reasonsContinually, your whole life, that as you
live, you'll find reasons, even thoughit's so hard to have gone through that,
there will be some good that comes out of
Mrs. Daybreak (13:51):
it.
Right.
That's the hope anyway.
Jen Banks (13:54):
Yes.
Wow.
Well, thank you for sharing.
It's, you know, it's so good to hearthat because I take it for granted.
I take all these things for grantedand it's, it's only those reminders
that help us get out of that state.
So thank
Mrs. Daybreak (14:06):
you.
Bye.
Oh, deep breath after that one.
Oh my
Jen Banks (14:11):
goodness.
And your enthusiasmfor life is contagious.
I can hear it and feel it.
So I love that you're sharing this withus so that we can process that too.
Wow.
Okay, well, let's move in alittle bit more to what you do.
So, uh, I love that you love beinga teacher because we need teachers.
Oh my goodness.
I tell my husband or I tellmy son's teacher all the time.
(14:32):
I'm her biggest cheerleader.
I give her all the gifts, all thethings because I've been in that
place and I know how hard it is.
So how long have you been a teacher?
Mrs. Daybreak (14:40):
Oh my gosh.
I've taught preschool foryears and years and years.
And that was like, hold on.
I have to do some math.
I've been teaching for like 15 years.
This is my fourth year in firstgrade, and I love it so good
if they're taller than me.
(15:01):
I don't I can't nope Yeah.
Right?
Jen Banks (15:06):
I substituted middle school one time and I told them at that time that I
was wanting to be a kindergarten teacherand they were like, you're a saint.
And I was like, no, you're asaint, you know, to each their own.
Mrs. Daybreak (15:16):
I know.
I talk, one of our sixth gradeteachers and I talk all the time
and I was like, it's so weird how wehave like a lot of the same things
happening with our kids, but yoursare probably just smellier than mine.
Different smells.
It's a difference, though.
That's right.
Jen Banks (15:33):
So would you say that you're living your dream job or is there another
place you'd see wanting to make an impact?
Mrs. Daybreak (15:40):
I have no idea.
I like When I was a kid, Inever wanted to be a teacher.
I wanted to be a marine biologistand that was shot down because
No.
Right?
We're not gonna take that.
Where are you gonna go to school for that?
(16:01):
Well, anyway, it was, I didn't, Iwasn't really sure what I wanted to do.
Like I wanted to do writing.
I have a crazy email address because Ithought I was going to be like a blogger
when I grew up because that was the thing.
I'm going to have a podcast soon.
And that is, that has kind of beena little bit of a dream of mine.
Thanks And I was like, that'd be so cool.
(16:24):
What if I did this?
I could share this with people.
And I just think sharing your story isgoing to have that impact on others.
And this is where the pageantcomes in because I'm in,
and this is Daybreak, right?
Like, how did that happen?
Did I know what I was signing up for?
Kind of.
It's a lot.
(16:44):
It's from Mrs.
Utah America.
And I didn't realize, like,I had no idea that the Mrs.
America right now is from Utah.
Did you know that?
I didn't.
Did you know that this is thepageant for Miss Congeniality?
Oh, I didn't.
You know now!
So I get to do an opening numberin six inch heels and a dress.
(17:05):
What?
And that's not anything, no, that wasnever, that, I mean shingles and the
beauty pageant was not on my radar at all.
Yeah.
But like this is kind of like pullingin more of the other traumatic
things that happened, I guess.
(17:26):
So we'll fast forward now to the beginningof our school year and one weekend and
I'm talking to my mom in the after.
Friday night, first week done.
These kids are hard, they're exhausting.
Why did I go back to doing this?
Was I really ready?
And she just kept tellingme to take care of myself.
And to make sure that I was getting whatI needed because all the other times that
(17:51):
I've gone into teaching, I'm like, makingsure the kids are getting their water and
drink breaks, but I'm not taking mine.
Making sure that they get the food toeat, but then like, what am I gonna eat?
When do I, when do I do that?
And I wasn't doing that.
That day also happened to be her birthday.
And I called kind of late.
(18:11):
I didn't want to wake her,but she was already awake.
And it was a really, itwas a nice conversation.
It was really sweet.
And then the next Saturday,
she was gone.
And I just get a text from mybrother saying we have to have,
it's like a mass text, that weneeded to talk because mom died.
(18:34):
Like, there's no easy way to say this.
Mom's gone.
Mom died.
And it was not expected at all.
Like, she went into the bathroom at agas station and didn't come back out.
She was on her way to go see him.
She just picked up apuppy for her birthday.
Like, she had no plans to cope.
Anywhere.
It was a huge, huge shock.
(18:56):
I'm
getting notifications.
Anyway, so I spiralfurther into depression.
I'm hiding how I'm feeling.
I'm not, I don't want otherpeople to know that I'm not okay.
Because I have to be strong and I haveto, you know, I have to be like that
person that they look to for stability,especially the kids, like having
(19:22):
different subs in and out and like mystudents that young, they're like, their
social emotional development is so huge.
And I just felt like I wasabandoning them because of my grief.
I wasn't eating at all.
I was barely drinking.
I was getting a bunch of medicalproblems, like one on top of another.
(19:44):
And then.
See this lady at my school.
She's always in slits, and she'sa huge sponsor for our school
she's always bringing treats in.
She's a real estate agent, and I'mfriends with her on Facebook And
she was in all these sparkly dressesDancing around with Todrick Hall and
all these other pretty ladies and allthese sparkly dresses, and I was like It
(20:10):
Who is this person?
Yes, like oh, well, I am theproduction manager for Mrs.
Utah America And I was like,oh, is that a puny pageant?
she's like yes it is and I was likeI would need a lot of work to be one
of those and I got a message later onFacebook that said no you wouldn't and
she sent me the application and shedidn't know you know I'm hiding she
(20:36):
didn't know How dark I was on the inside.
It was very dark and twisty.
Like, literally going through the motionsbecause I don't know what else to do.
I have my kids, I have myfamily, I have my pets.
Probably heard them barking a minute ago.
(20:57):
But like, I wasn't thinking about me.
In any of it, right?
That was guilty.
I didn't want to feel, I didn't wantthat guilt of like doing the things
to take care of myself when I knowthere's so many others that need me.
So I talk about this pageant with myhusband and he's like, yeah, sure.
(21:18):
Whatever.
Like I didn't really, I read thecontract before I signed it, obviously.
But like, you know what I just found out?
You win prizes.
I didn't even think about that.
And that's like,
what do you do if you win?
Bye.
Didn't think that far.
I didn't realize, I didn'trealize like, okay, yeah.
(21:39):
Mrs.
Utah, America, whatever.
Okay.
That means you go to Mrs.
America and then you go on to Mrs.
World.
And so, yeah.
But I signed up and I met all these,like, I mean, I was intimidated.
And I think we all kind of wereintimidated of each other because we
watch each other on social media and like,hadn't really gotten to know each other.
(22:02):
A lot of them are brand new.
There's 19 women in the pageant.
Right.
This year for the Missestitle and six for the Miss.
And we're all doing all thesethings together and never
tearing each other down.
We're always there like, Oh, I don'thave a dress that works with this.
Hey, I'm doing this eventfor this project for funding.
(22:25):
Can you guys help?
Can you share the word?
Like, it's not me, me, me, me, me.
It's us.
And it's a celebrationof how incredible we are.
Cause all of us have been throughsomething and all of us have stories
to share and they deserve to be.
shared and heard and we're ready.
Right.
And I think you need to be at a pointwhere you can be ready to be vulnerable
(22:49):
before you can like do all of that.
Yeah.
But so now I have all these, I haveall these like girl best friends
that I didn't know that I could havecause I never had them really before.
Like not close enough that wecould actually do something right.
They all live like all across thecountry, but when they're like there,
(23:13):
It's really cool.
It's incredible.
Jen Banks (23:16):
I can imagine that you feel so much support and that you've
found a community that you can
Mrs. Daybreak (23:21):
lean on.
Yeah, I haven't had that for a while.
Wow.
So it was really nice.
Jen Banks (23:29):
Yeah, and I love that you bring up the, the
vulnerability that's necessary there.
I love plant analogies and soI've been thinking a lot about
being dormant and just how wehave to go through this wintering
process before we can truly bloom.
So that's what I see here.
Mrs. Daybreak (23:46):
You have to get rid of all the like gross, yucky, whatever.
And then I have Oh, what are they called?
I can't remember.
Alliums?
I think they're like Thesepurple, they grow straight
up, they look like lollipops.
And when I started it was justone flower in each spot, and
every year another one gets added.
(24:08):
So then it's like more and more and morebeautiful and But you have to take care
of it too, like you can't just What?
And then come back and be amazingand wonderful, like that's not
how it, that's not how it works.
For
Jen Banks (24:23):
sure.
And like you said with your students,you know, it's not just them.
Well, it was just them gettinga drink and them eating food.
But now hopefully youfeed yourself along that.
I mean, one of my favoritequotes is drink as you pour.
Mrs. Daybreak (24:35):
Yes, that's the, I like that.
Cause I have my mom always saidnever pour from an empty cup.
So I like drink as you pour.
Well,
I sit down and eat lunch with my students.
Yes.
I'll go join them in the cafeteria andwe have snack time together and I have
(24:55):
a little fridge that's full of things,but like, just like with them, if they're
dysregulated and they don't have thosebasic needs met, they're not sleeping.
They're not.
And this is part of, I think that it'ssad that that's, Thinking about my
students like this is when I was findinglike, oh, maybe that's my problem.
(25:16):
I'm not getting enough sleep.
I'm not getting the food I need.
I'm not getting hydrated enough.
I'm not being heard.
So helping them.
Yeah.
So I have, I have that experiencethat I can pull from, but now I'm like
giving that to my students so thatthey can, ah, They need to learn that.
(25:37):
They need to learn it now.
Jen Banks (25:40):
Well, thank you so much.
I love hearing your story, becauseI kind of saw you and knew about
you, but I didn't know you, so it's
Mrs. Daybreak (25:47):
good to get to know you.
We've been like kind of friends fora minute, and I've been watching,
so it's really nice to talk, and Ireally love what you do, so thank you.
Jen Banks (25:56):
Yes, thank you.
There's so many parallels between beingBeing a teacher and being a mom, right?
I had a student that said, thiswas before I had kids, they
were like, You're like a mom.
You're mean like a momand you're nice like a
Mrs. Daybreak (26:09):
mom.
Right?
Yeah.
So there you go.
I, like, that's the vibein my classroom this year.
I've got, well, one of, oneof my students is my own kid.
So that's probably, probablywhere it's coming from.
But they don't call me mom.
They just treat me like I'm mom, likeI am like, I had kids, their costumes
(26:30):
ripped or coats were worn and I bustedout my sewing machine and sewed them
up because they needed it, right?
Or like I go buy them snacks becausethey need to eat, or they're not
going to be able to learn, and I'mnot going to be able to do my job.
Yes, like
Jen Banks (26:48):
you said, we all need our basic needs met and then we can grow further.
Yes.
Well, is there any other thoughts thatyou had to share or a favorite quote?
I always love asking that
Mrs. Daybreak (26:57):
question.
Oh, you know what one just poppedin my head and I haven't thought
about it for a really long time.
Never let the sun set on tomorrowbefore the sun rises today.
Jen Banks (27:08):
That's really
Mrs. Daybreak (27:09):
good.
I think we get discouraged and frustratedwith things that happen like today.
And so we're not looking forward to thingsthat are coming, but man, it's pretty.
I was in the dark for so long, you guys.
This world is so cool!
And what's fun is I'm learningso much with my first graders.
(27:33):
Like, we look up to them.
All kinds of things.
Hubble Space Telescope, whatever.
Pictures of a black hole, like,the world is really, really cool.
We just take it for granted, soget out there and explore it.
Jen Banks (27:47):
Yes, so good.
Thank you so much, and I hopeeverybody comes to the pageant.
Mrs. Daybreak (27:52):
Oh my gosh, yes, March 23rd.
Please get, please comewatch me maybe fall.
I only tripped once.
Jen Banks (28:01):
Well, that sounds so fun.
I remember going to, like, my high school,you know, Miss Springville, but, or Mr.
Springville even, but I'm so excited.
It's been a long time sinceI've been to a pageant, so,
Mrs. Daybreak (28:11):
so fun.
Yay!
Thank you.
I hope you come.
I was gonna say one more thing andnow I don't remember what it is.
I don't know.
I'm sorry.
It's okay.
You can get tickets and there's a discountcode that we can link and stuff to.
It's day one.
All uppercase.
It'll get you 10 off a ticket.
And there's also live stream ticketsavailable, so if you can't make
it, but you still want to see,like, these women, they're amazing.
(28:34):
We've worked really hard onthis show, and I think, I think
everybody should tune in and watch.
It's gonna be really cool.
One last thing to leave you with.
Yes.
I am so sorry, because Iknow we're short on time.
You're like, kicking me out.
No, you're good.
My mom used to do pageants.
And I didn't know that until I wasfinally able to go up after her death
(28:56):
and go through Some of the thingsthat she had set aside and there was
her pageant stuff There's picturesfrom her in like newspaper clippings
modeling and things like that.
So
Jen Banks (29:09):
Yes, I know she'll be with you on that night and I am so excited to see
it and thank you for all you're doing Todo anything beyond teaching is incredible.
So I can't even imaginehow you're doing both right
Mrs. Daybreak (29:22):
now.
They really got me through it all.
I think.
That's
Jen Banks (29:27):
awesome.
Yeah.
They're your, they're yourreason, not your excuse.
Right.
Mrs. Daybreak (29:31):
Okay.
Jen Banks (29:32):
Hey, thank you so much, Amanda.
So good
Mrs. Daybreak (29:34):
to meet you.
Nice to meet you too.
Thank you.
Jen Banks (29:38):
Thank you for joining me on the podcast and I will see you next week.
Thank you to Ride the Wave Media and thankyou to all who make podcasts possible.
Thank you to the listeners.
I couldn't do without your support.
Be sure to follow me onInstagram at A is for Adversity.
Hey, Hey, thanks for joining me on the podcast today.
I'm so happy to have you.
If you're in Utah, it hasbeen a few rainy days.
So hopefully this episode willbrighten your day as it did mine.
And I am just so excited.
There's lots of fun thingshappening in April with St.
Patrick's day and Pi day.
And my family celebrates Mario day.
(00:21):
And then also Easteris in March this year.
There's also coming up on March22nd, a Miss Utah America pageant.
And my guest today, Amanda and I are goingto talk more about that in our interview,
but I just wanted to let you know rightoff the bat so you can mark your calendar.
So without any delay,let's get to the interview.
All right.
(00:41):
I'm here with Amanda.
How are you today?
Mrs. Daybreak (00:44):
I'm wonderful.
How are you?
Jen Banks (00:45):
Doing good.
It's always funny in the podcastworld because we kind of have
a pre conversation and then theconversation, you know, but it just
feels like that's the way to do it.
So
Mrs. Daybreak (00:55):
this is how we start.
I'm having a wonderful day.
Thanks for asking.
Right.
I know.
Jen Banks (01:01):
Okay.
Well, we'll get moreinto the nitty gritty.
Tell us a little bit aboutyou and then we'll just
Mrs. Daybreak (01:05):
go from there.
So I'm Amanda McCombs.
I've lived in Daybreak for a while, likea lot longer than I thought now that I
think about it, for almost eight years.
No way.
Yeah!
I'm sorry, because my daughter isseven, and I was pregnant with her
when we moved in, so that's crazy.
(01:26):
I didn't even think about that.
My husband and I have been marriedsince 2015, and I do a lot of things.
I'm a first grade teacher.
Between the two of us, we have five kids.
We're a blended family, and that comeswith A lot of joy and challenges.
And then recently I became Mrs.
Daybreak.
We'll talk
Jen Banks (01:47):
more about that later.
I'm so curious about that part.
But before we do that, let's dive in alittle bit more to who you are as a person
and then we'll move into what you do.
So what is one of your favoriteindoor activities and what's
a favorite outdoor activity?
Mrs. Daybreak (02:00):
Okay.
Can I do two for each?
I guess.
Thank you.
I'm a rule breaker.
Audiobooks and video games.
For me, for inside activities.
I just love being outside and I lovepaddleboarding, which is kind of
new ish to me, but I love hiking.
(02:23):
That's
Jen Banks (02:23):
so neat.
I need, I wish I loved nature more.
I, my husband and I, we say we're the,We love the great indoors, but there
is something to be said about outdoors.
I do, there is a place
Mrs. Daybreak (02:33):
for nature too.
So my husband and I are opposite,like he could, he could just stay
inside all day long and cozy up anddo all the things that I'm getting
out, see if I'm cooped up too long.
Jen Banks (02:43):
Yes.
So true.
Well, good thing we have each other.
Cause my husband's like that too.
And then I'm a little bitmore inclined to go outdoors.
Mrs. Daybreak (02:48):
So you're not both trapped in the house all day long.
Jen Banks (02:52):
Yes.
Well, you mentionedyou do a lot of things.
What are some of the hats
Mrs. Daybreak (02:57):
that you wear?
The mom hat is probably the first hat.
The mom and stepmom hat.
And then this year I teach first gradeand it's my first year being back at it.
I'm a teacher, but all those, I mightas well be all their moms anyway.
I don't know.
I'm a caregiver.
I take care of animals.
And I do like, you know, thechauffeur hat and the whatever hat.
(03:20):
And we don't even need to talkabout like all the things that
come with the teacher hat.
Because it's not just a teacher hat.
It's like, A lot of teacher hats.
Jen Banks (03:29):
That's so true.
And props for, yeah, I taught secondgrade for three years and it is
Mrs. Daybreak (03:36):
a job.
They're little energy vampires.
Jen Banks (03:41):
That's a good term for it.
I love it.
Well, what is one of your core values?
What drives you the most?
Mrs. Daybreak (03:47):
Oh yeah, that one.
I was really trying to think about it.
Cause, you know, values change over time.
I think authenticity, And live,like, being able to live your
true self, that's so hard to getto but it's really important.
Jen Banks (04:07):
So true.
I have shared before that I feel like wecome to the earth without any programming,
and then we get all this societal and, youknow, expectations put upon us, and then
we just kind of have to unravel that to
Mrs. Daybreak (04:18):
get back to ourselves.
Yeah I think one of the things I'vereally learned through like everything
that I'm going through is that I haveto let go of other people's expectations
of me and make sure I'm living up to myown before I'm like doing anything else.
Yeah,
Jen Banks (04:35):
that's so good because like you said with the kids and the energy
vampire, that's what society can be too
Mrs. Daybreak (04:41):
if we let it.
Yeah.
Oh yeah.
Especially like social media andall the other things like you kind
of can get lost very easily andforget what makes you who you are.
Like, I had to really think aboutwhat my favorite indoor and outdoor
activities were because I hadn'treally thought about it before.
It's just like whatevermy kids do, you know?
(05:03):
But since I've been able to do thosethings and like be more authentic to
who I am, I'm a lot happier and mylife is a lot easier and I, there's so
So much I don't have to worry about.
Forget those
Jen Banks (05:15):
people.
Yes.
So good.
Great.
Well, my go to is adversity.
I love talking about how challengesrefine us and shape our character.
So I know it's a loaded question,but what's something that you've
experienced that's shaped your character?
Mrs. Daybreak (05:31):
How far back do we want to go?
How much time do you have?
How much time do you have?
Like, are we going to start charging?
Is this a therapy session?
Very recently.
We'll just go back to February last year.
We could go back further, butwe're just, that's the easiest one.
I was diagnosed with shinglesand it went through the nerves in
(05:55):
my face on this right hand side.
And so now that was a year ago.
I can't feel any of this at all.
And if I can feel it, So like rightwhen I'm getting waxed and stuff, right?
But when I can feel it, it's like pinsand needles or throbbing and aching pain.
Because jingles is justchicken pox, right?
(06:19):
But once you have chicken pox, it juststays in your spine until it's ready.
And usually you're like old orbroken or I didn't think I was
either one of those things.
Apparently I am.
So then I couldn't.
Look at any light and I have like suchbad, bad, bad light and sound sensitivity.
(06:45):
I couldn't even hearanybody talking around me.
Like I was wearing earplugs and likeriding in the car with my husband,
I would wear one of those sleepingmasks and I had just finally got a
paddle board like the summer before.
Couldn't go paddle boarding.
I finally got to go liketowards the end of the summer.
(07:06):
But then like, I couldn't, Icouldn't see like the snow today.
We had some snow.
I couldn't see outsidewatching the kids for recess.
So it still hits me really, really hard.
My husband had to drive everywhere.
I just felt like I was a burden andI couldn't do anything with my kids.
(07:26):
Like I was, I love readingand I couldn't read anymore.
I was reading Matilda to my daughter and.
It was too much.
Like my eyes couldn't focus and then Icouldn't even hear her talking to me.
Like the sound of my own kidsvoices was painful and like What
(07:49):
do you do when you're sick, right?
You read, or you watch movies, or youlisten to books, or music, or whatever.
I couldn't do anything.
So, headphones, mask on, liketotally covered up, blinds drawn.
I'd be like walking like this in themorning to go close all the blinds, and
then I'd have this really cute head tilt.
(08:12):
Because I was shielding likemy face all the time like this.
I was wearing hats inside,prescription sunglasses helped,
but they didn't help outside.
That was still too much.
So like months and months andmonths, I couldn't go outside.
Jen Banks (08:27):
Wow.
So what got you through that?
Mrs. Daybreak (08:30):
I don't know.
I was just thinking a lot.
Like I had a lot of time to reflectcause all I could really listen
to is like my thoughts in my head.
I have that narrator Tryingto think if my narrator in my
head even sounds like my voice.
I don't think it does.
It's like a totally different person.
But that way I couldn't even, like,listening to myself breathe hurt.
(08:51):
And so I just had a lot of time tothink about, like, who I was and
what I liked and I just slept a lot.
My eye almost flew out of myhead and also that month, this is
February, my mom's house burned down.
And they barely made it out alive.
They live up in Preston.
(09:12):
lived up in Preston and she like That'slike a totally different thing, but there
were all these things happening and like Icouldn't even look at pictures I couldn't
read the messages Like people calling me.
I couldn't I couldn'teven answer phone calls.
I just couldn't do anything, but I wasa teacher Last year, I was a PE teacher
(09:39):
That was my first time.
It's probably never gonna happenagain, but in the gym there's all
those bright lights and sounds andmusic and we were like dancing and
I was at like the top of my life.
I was like in really really good shape andI was doing a job that I kind of love now.
It's great.
Everything is arts integrated.
So we made a nutcracker.
(10:00):
It was the coolest nutcracker ever.
Not like anyone you would ever see.
And And then February, Igot knocked down, flat.
I got my master's.
So February 1st, I wasdiagnosed with shingles.
I think it was like the 3rd, I got mygraduation notification that I passed
(10:22):
everything for my master's degree.
My birthday was later that month,my husband's birthday, one of my
kids birthdays, Valentine's Day.
And then, I think I felt I had a purpose.
I feel a pull to like, I've said this toa couple other people because I haven't
really figured out how to explain it.
I get this pull where I'mlike, somebody meets me.
(10:47):
And that I go where I'm directed, right?
And the school needed me.
And I hated not being there.
It tore me apart because I loveteaching so much and I couldn't do
half the stuff that I wanted to.
I couldn't teach PE anymore.
No more sugar plum dribble.
Like we can't play all thesecrazy games that I made up
(11:09):
because I couldn't even See.
Yeah.
So then I when I was able to goback to work, they were so sweet.
I came back as the visual art teacher.
Who couldn't see?
I mean I could see, kinda, butI would wear sunglasses and like
everything I wrote because myhead's tilted is all like crooked!
(11:29):
I had a cane.
If I couldn't walk straight,it messes with it still.
If I start to get sick Ican tell because I like tip.
I can't keep my balance.
So, like, just from this one thing,my whole life just, I felt like I had
my whole life robbed from me and Ididn't even know, like, if I was ever
(11:49):
gonna really be able to go outsideand enjoy any of the stuff that I
like reading or playing video games.
Paddleboarding?
Out of the question.
No, no way.
I just, wow.
I finally When I was able togo back, I just, I knew that
the kids needed me and I just,
(12:10):
my time wasn't done yet.
But
like, why?
Why, why, why, why, why?
Right?
I was like, what did I do wrong?
Is this because of all my tattoos?
I'm a hellion, sorry, I drink coffee.
Like, I don't know what's wrong with me.
And I just try, I try to give andgive and give and give and then I
(12:31):
just felt, I was like, I don't know.
I can see now, which is kind of nice.
But like, I think it was just acouple, mm, it was like halfway
through the school year I was actuallyable to like read, read, read.
And so I tell the kids like, don'tyou realize how cool this is?
(12:52):
We live in such an amazing placewhere we can see all these things
and we're taking it all for granted.
So my, the whole, my wholeview of the world just changed
and my priorities shifted.
It taught me a lot.
So I mean you're, you'respot on with that adversity.
is there for a reason.
(13:13):
And it made me so much stronger.
Like, I don't know, I tell people aboutit now and I'm like, yeah, check this out.
I can't feel that.
It's my party trick.
Oh my gosh.
It's just, it's a crazy, it'scrazy, crazy existence right now.
(13:34):
For sure.
Jen Banks (13:34):
Wow.
That is huge.
That is a very big doseof adversity for you.
And I think you'll discover the reasonsContinually, your whole life, that as you
live, you'll find reasons, even thoughit's so hard to have gone through that,
there will be some good that comes out of
Mrs. Daybreak (13:51):
it.
Right.
That's the hope anyway.
Jen Banks (13:54):
Yes.
Wow.
Well, thank you for sharing.
It's, you know, it's so good to hearthat because I take it for granted.
I take all these things for grantedand it's, it's only those reminders
that help us get out of that state.
So thank
Mrs. Daybreak (14:06):
you.
Bye.
Oh, deep breath after that one.
Oh my
Jen Banks (14:11):
goodness.
And your enthusiasmfor life is contagious.
I can hear it and feel it.
So I love that you're sharing this withus so that we can process that too.
Wow.
Okay, well, let's move in alittle bit more to what you do.
So, uh, I love that you love beinga teacher because we need teachers.
Oh my goodness.
I tell my husband or I tellmy son's teacher all the time.
(14:32):
I'm her biggest cheerleader.
I give her all the gifts, all thethings because I've been in that
place and I know how hard it is.
So how long have you been a teacher?
Mrs. Daybreak (14:40):
Oh my gosh.
I've taught preschool foryears and years and years.
And that was like, hold on.
I have to do some math.
I've been teaching for like 15 years.
This is my fourth year in firstgrade, and I love it so good
if they're taller than me.
(15:01):
I don't I can't nope Yeah.
Right?
Jen Banks (15:06):
I substituted middle school one time and I told them at that time that I
was wanting to be a kindergarten teacherand they were like, you're a saint.
And I was like, no, you're asaint, you know, to each their own.
Mrs. Daybreak (15:16):
I know.
I talk, one of our sixth gradeteachers and I talk all the time
and I was like, it's so weird how wehave like a lot of the same things
happening with our kids, but yoursare probably just smellier than mine.
Different smells.
It's a difference, though.
That's right.
Jen Banks (15:33):
So would you say that you're living your dream job or is there another
place you'd see wanting to make an impact?
Mrs. Daybreak (15:40):
I have no idea.
I like When I was a kid, Inever wanted to be a teacher.
I wanted to be a marine biologistand that was shot down because
No.
Right?
We're not gonna take that.
Where are you gonna go to school for that?
(16:01):
Well, anyway, it was, I didn't, Iwasn't really sure what I wanted to do.
Like I wanted to do writing.
I have a crazy email address because Ithought I was going to be like a blogger
when I grew up because that was the thing.
I'm going to have a podcast soon.
And that is, that has kind of beena little bit of a dream of mine.
Thanks And I was like, that'd be so cool.
(16:24):
What if I did this?
I could share this with people.
And I just think sharing your story isgoing to have that impact on others.
And this is where the pageantcomes in because I'm in,
and this is Daybreak, right?
Like, how did that happen?
Did I know what I was signing up for?
Kind of.
It's a lot.
(16:44):
It's from Mrs.
Utah America.
And I didn't realize, like,I had no idea that the Mrs.
America right now is from Utah.
Did you know that?
I didn't.
Did you know that this is thepageant for Miss Congeniality?
Oh, I didn't.
You know now!
So I get to do an opening numberin six inch heels and a dress.
(17:05):
What?
And that's not anything, no, that wasnever, that, I mean shingles and the
beauty pageant was not on my radar at all.
Yeah.
But like this is kind of like pullingin more of the other traumatic
things that happened, I guess.
(17:26):
So we'll fast forward now to the beginningof our school year and one weekend and
I'm talking to my mom in the after.
Friday night, first week done.
These kids are hard, they're exhausting.
Why did I go back to doing this?
Was I really ready?
And she just kept tellingme to take care of myself.
And to make sure that I was getting whatI needed because all the other times that
(17:51):
I've gone into teaching, I'm like, makingsure the kids are getting their water and
drink breaks, but I'm not taking mine.
Making sure that they get the food toeat, but then like, what am I gonna eat?
When do I, when do I do that?
And I wasn't doing that.
That day also happened to be her birthday.
And I called kind of late.
(18:11):
I didn't want to wake her,but she was already awake.
And it was a really, itwas a nice conversation.
It was really sweet.
And then the next Saturday,
she was gone.
And I just get a text from mybrother saying we have to have,
it's like a mass text, that weneeded to talk because mom died.
(18:34):
Like, there's no easy way to say this.
Mom's gone.
Mom died.
And it was not expected at all.
Like, she went into the bathroom at agas station and didn't come back out.
She was on her way to go see him.
She just picked up apuppy for her birthday.
Like, she had no plans to cope.
Anywhere.
It was a huge, huge shock.
(18:56):
I'm
getting notifications.
Anyway, so I spiralfurther into depression.
I'm hiding how I'm feeling.
I'm not, I don't want otherpeople to know that I'm not okay.
Because I have to be strong and I haveto, you know, I have to be like that
person that they look to for stability,especially the kids, like having
(19:22):
different subs in and out and like mystudents that young, they're like, their
social emotional development is so huge.
And I just felt like I wasabandoning them because of my grief.
I wasn't eating at all.
I was barely drinking.
I was getting a bunch of medicalproblems, like one on top of another.
(19:44):
And then.
See this lady at my school.
She's always in slits, and she'sa huge sponsor for our school
she's always bringing treats in.
She's a real estate agent, and I'mfriends with her on Facebook And
she was in all these sparkly dressesDancing around with Todrick Hall and
all these other pretty ladies and allthese sparkly dresses, and I was like It
(20:10):
Who is this person?
Yes, like oh, well, I am theproduction manager for Mrs.
Utah America And I was like,oh, is that a puny pageant?
she's like yes it is and I was likeI would need a lot of work to be one
of those and I got a message later onFacebook that said no you wouldn't and
she sent me the application and shedidn't know you know I'm hiding she
(20:36):
didn't know How dark I was on the inside.
It was very dark and twisty.
Like, literally going through the motionsbecause I don't know what else to do.
I have my kids, I have myfamily, I have my pets.
Probably heard them barking a minute ago.
(20:57):
But like, I wasn't thinking about me.
In any of it, right?
That was guilty.
I didn't want to feel, I didn't wantthat guilt of like doing the things
to take care of myself when I knowthere's so many others that need me.
So I talk about this pageant with myhusband and he's like, yeah, sure.
(21:18):
Whatever.
Like I didn't really, I read thecontract before I signed it, obviously.
But like, you know what I just found out?
You win prizes.
I didn't even think about that.
And that's like,
what do you do if you win?
Bye.
Didn't think that far.
I didn't realize, I didn'trealize like, okay, yeah.
(21:39):
Mrs.
Utah, America, whatever.
Okay.
That means you go to Mrs.
America and then you go on to Mrs.
World.
And so, yeah.
But I signed up and I met all these,like, I mean, I was intimidated.
And I think we all kind of wereintimidated of each other because we
watch each other on social media and like,hadn't really gotten to know each other.
(22:02):
A lot of them are brand new.
There's 19 women in the pageant.
Right.
This year for the Missestitle and six for the Miss.
And we're all doing all thesethings together and never
tearing each other down.
We're always there like, Oh, I don'thave a dress that works with this.
Hey, I'm doing this eventfor this project for funding.
(22:25):
Can you guys help?
Can you share the word?
Like, it's not me, me, me, me, me.
It's us.
And it's a celebrationof how incredible we are.
Cause all of us have been throughsomething and all of us have stories
to share and they deserve to be.
shared and heard and we're ready.
Right.
And I think you need to be at a pointwhere you can be ready to be vulnerable
(22:49):
before you can like do all of that.
Yeah.
But so now I have all these, I haveall these like girl best friends
that I didn't know that I could havecause I never had them really before.
Like not close enough that wecould actually do something right.
They all live like all across thecountry, but when they're like there,
(23:13):
It's really cool.
It's incredible.
Jen Banks (23:16):
I can imagine that you feel so much support and that you've
found a community that you can
Mrs. Daybreak (23:21):
lean on.
Yeah, I haven't had that for a while.
Wow.
So it was really nice.
Jen Banks (23:29):
Yeah, and I love that you bring up the, the
vulnerability that's necessary there.
I love plant analogies and soI've been thinking a lot about
being dormant and just how wehave to go through this wintering
process before we can truly bloom.
So that's what I see here.
Mrs. Daybreak (23:46):
You have to get rid of all the like gross, yucky, whatever.
And then I have Oh, what are they called?
I can't remember.
Alliums?
I think they're like Thesepurple, they grow straight
up, they look like lollipops.
And when I started it was justone flower in each spot, and
every year another one gets added.
(24:08):
So then it's like more and more and morebeautiful and But you have to take care
of it too, like you can't just What?
And then come back and be amazingand wonderful, like that's not
how it, that's not how it works.
For
Jen Banks (24:23):
sure.
And like you said with your students,you know, it's not just them.
Well, it was just them gettinga drink and them eating food.
But now hopefully youfeed yourself along that.
I mean, one of my favoritequotes is drink as you pour.
Mrs. Daybreak (24:35):
Yes, that's the, I like that.
Cause I have my mom always saidnever pour from an empty cup.
So I like drink as you pour.
Well,
I sit down and eat lunch with my students.
Yes.
I'll go join them in the cafeteria andwe have snack time together and I have
(24:55):
a little fridge that's full of things,but like, just like with them, if they're
dysregulated and they don't have thosebasic needs met, they're not sleeping.
They're not.
And this is part of, I think that it'ssad that that's, Thinking about my
students like this is when I was findinglike, oh, maybe that's my problem.
(25:16):
I'm not getting enough sleep.
I'm not getting the food I need.
I'm not getting hydrated enough.
I'm not being heard.
So helping them.
Yeah.
So I have, I have that experiencethat I can pull from, but now I'm like
giving that to my students so thatthey can, ah, They need to learn that.
(25:37):
They need to learn it now.
Jen Banks (25:40):
Well, thank you so much.
I love hearing your story, becauseI kind of saw you and knew about
you, but I didn't know you, so it's
Mrs. Daybreak (25:47):
good to get to know you.
We've been like kind of friends fora minute, and I've been watching,
so it's really nice to talk, and Ireally love what you do, so thank you.
Jen Banks (25:56):
Yes, thank you.
There's so many parallels between beingBeing a teacher and being a mom, right?
I had a student that said, thiswas before I had kids, they
were like, You're like a mom.
You're mean like a momand you're nice like a
Mrs. Daybreak (26:09):
mom.
Right?
Yeah.
So there you go.
I, like, that's the vibein my classroom this year.
I've got, well, one of, oneof my students is my own kid.
So that's probably, probablywhere it's coming from.
But they don't call me mom.
They just treat me like I'm mom, likeI am like, I had kids, their costumes
(26:30):
ripped or coats were worn and I bustedout my sewing machine and sewed them
up because they needed it, right?
Or like I go buy them snacks becausethey need to eat, or they're not
going to be able to learn, and I'mnot going to be able to do my job.
Yes, like
Jen Banks (26:48):
you said, we all need our basic needs met and then we can grow further.
Yes.
Well, is there any other thoughts thatyou had to share or a favorite quote?
I always love asking that
Mrs. Daybreak (26:57):
question.
Oh, you know what one just poppedin my head and I haven't thought
about it for a really long time.
Never let the sun set on tomorrowbefore the sun rises today.
Jen Banks (27:08):
That's really
Mrs. Daybreak (27:09):
good.
I think we get discouraged and frustratedwith things that happen like today.
And so we're not looking forward to thingsthat are coming, but man, it's pretty.
I was in the dark for so long, you guys.
This world is so cool!
And what's fun is I'm learningso much with my first graders.
(27:33):
Like, we look up to them.
All kinds of things.
Hubble Space Telescope, whatever.
Pictures of a black hole, like,the world is really, really cool.
We just take it for granted, soget out there and explore it.
Jen Banks (27:47):
Yes, so good.
Thank you so much, and I hopeeverybody comes to the pageant.
Mrs. Daybreak (27:52):
Oh my gosh, yes, March 23rd.
Please get, please comewatch me maybe fall.
I only tripped once.
Jen Banks (28:01):
Well, that sounds so fun.
I remember going to, like, my high school,you know, Miss Springville, but, or Mr.
Springville even, but I'm so excited.
It's been a long time sinceI've been to a pageant, so,
Mrs. Daybreak (28:11):
so fun.
Yay!
Thank you.
I hope you come.
I was gonna say one more thing andnow I don't remember what it is.
I don't know.
I'm sorry.
It's okay.
You can get tickets and there's a discountcode that we can link and stuff to.
It's day one.
All uppercase.
It'll get you 10 off a ticket.
And there's also live stream ticketsavailable, so if you can't make
it, but you still want to see,like, these women, they're amazing.
(28:34):
We've worked really hard onthis show, and I think, I think
everybody should tune in and watch.
It's gonna be really cool.
One last thing to leave you with.
Yes.
I am so sorry, because Iknow we're short on time.
You're like, kicking me out.
No, you're good.
My mom used to do pageants.
And I didn't know that until I wasfinally able to go up after her death
(28:56):
and go through Some of the thingsthat she had set aside and there was
her pageant stuff There's picturesfrom her in like newspaper clippings
modeling and things like that.
So
Jen Banks (29:09):
Yes, I know she'll be with you on that night and I am so excited to see
it and thank you for all you're doing Todo anything beyond teaching is incredible.
So I can't even imaginehow you're doing both right
Mrs. Daybreak (29:22):
now.
They really got me through it all.
I think.
That's
Jen Banks (29:27):
awesome.
Yeah.
They're your, they're yourreason, not your excuse.
Right.
Mrs. Daybreak (29:31):
Okay.
Jen Banks (29:32):
Hey, thank you so much, Amanda.
So good
Mrs. Daybreak (29:34):
to meet you.
Nice to meet you too.
Thank you.
Jen Banks (29:38):
Thank you for joining me on the podcast and I will see you next week.
Thank you to Ride the Wave Media and thankyou to all who make podcasts possible.
Thank you to the listeners.
I couldn't do without your support.
Be sure to follow me onInstagram at A is for Adversity.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.